Chapter 10

The young master who sent the pastries does not bear the surname Song, so he is not someone from the Song residence.

After saying that, the servant withdrew and did not return to the young masters' side, but quietly left Chonghua Residence.

This person is rather cautious.

Shen Shuangning withdrew her gaze.

That mysterious young master must be among the banquet guests, constantly paying attention to her; otherwise he would not know she has no appetite.

Since he is not surnamed Song, who could he be?

She certainly would not naively assume that he bears the surname Xiao.

Shen Shuangning tasted the snack before her, and suddenly her eyes lit up.

It is a pastry from Li Ji.

Li Ji is a century-old shop in the capital, specializing in various snacks; although it is not an elegant place, Shen Shuangning favors this little shop.

When she was young, whenever she went out in disguise, she would go in to buy a bagful to bring back home; over time, the proprietor of Li Ji came to know her, and after one month she gained several pounds, whereupon she began to restrain herself slightly.

In her previous life, after marrying into the Yan Prince's residence, Xiao Jingyuan learned that she had gone to Li Ji and was very displeased.

"You are the consort of the Yan Prince's heir; going to such a place loses your dignity—do not go there again."

Thus she did not eat at Li Ji for three years.

Now tasting that long-missed flavor, Shen Shuangning felt more sourness than sweetness in her heart.

She became even more convinced that this plate of pastries had nothing to do with Xiao Jingyuan.

Indeed, they have no connection at present; he does not even know who she is, so how could he send her something?

Today the Song residence is hosting guests, also intending to select a husband for the Song daughter; aristocratic families like to marry within their circle, but Shen Shuangning's appearance outshone the young ladies, inevitably inviting some hostility.

Shen Shuangning noticed this but did not mind; she had long grown accustomed to it.

After eating the Li Ji pastry, Shen Shuangning's mood brightened considerably.

At this moment someone unknown sneered, "Being beautiful makes all the difference—wherever you go, someone offers affection; we just don't have that fortune."

This is hardly praise; it is clearly saying that Shen Shuangning is alluring and undisciplined.

Shen Miaoyun's face darkened, and she shot a sharp glance at that person.

The other party is not a young lady of the Song residence.

She is a friend of Song Yao, named Wei Chun.

During the earlier flower‑throwing game, this young lady of the Wei family certainly made a splash, yet despite her efforts she could not stir any reaction.

A mere young lady of the Wei mansion dares to speak rudely to the Duke of Rong's household? She's tired of living.

Shen Miaoyun immediately rose to her feet.

Shen Shuangning, quick‑eyed and quick‑handed, grabbed her.

The Zhao and Song families are old friends; now my elder sister is a Zhao family wife, and this is at least Song territory—I do not wish for my sister to have an unpleasant falling out with the Songs because of me.

Moreover, given my sister's current status, quarreling with a little maid, if it got out, would inevitably cause a loss of dignity.

"Elder sister, I'm fine; just ignore her."

Shen Miaoyun knew that Shen Shuangning was looking out for her, but the more the younger sister acted this way, the more annoyed she became.

The Shen clan all protect their own shortcomings.

Song Xizhi saw Shen Miaoyun stand up, also rose, and hurriedly asked with concern, "Elder sister Yun, what's wrong?"

"At this banquet I am truly not enjoying myself; perhaps my appetite is off—I simply cannot eat any more, so I take my leave."

Shen Miaoyun coldly glared at that Wei family young lady; meeting her gaze, the latter lowered her head with an innocent expression.

In the end Shen Miaoyun did not cause a scene on the spot; she took her two younger sisters and left.

Seeing that his lady was about to leave, Zhao Lian'an naturally did not want her to go out of his sight, so he also bowed and took his leave.

Since all the sisters were leaving, Shen Er certainly could not stay; he had long wanted to slip away.

Song Xizhi could only say, "I will see you off."

Shen Miaoyun replied coolly, "No need; please stay."

The young masters watched that graceful figure gradually recede, their eyes filled with a hint of reluctance.

After the people had walked away, Old Madam Song snorted coldly, "These Shen people really have no propriety!"

Song Xizhi gently patted her back: "Grandmother, don't get angry; don't harm your health with rage."

Having left Chonghua Residence, Shen Shuangning's breathing gradually eased.

"Elder sister, why must you be like this......"

"I am your elder sister; how could I stand by and watch you suffer injustice? In the past I would have gone up and slapped her twice!"

Shen Miaoyun patted her sister's hand, "It's fine; the Zhao and Song families won't make a fuss over such a trivial matter."

Zhao Lian'an nearby also offered a few words of comfort, telling Shen Shuangning not to worry, and added, "The Zhao and Shen families are truly one household; the Song family should step aside."

At that moment a servant suddenly ran up.

"Fourth Miss, please wait."

Shen Shuangning looked back; it was that servant from earlier.

The servant held three bags of snacks packed from Li Ji in his arms; he gave them to Shen Shuangning and also attended to Shen Miaoyun and Shen Ling.

Having finished his task, the servant dared not say more and withdrew respectfully.

Shen Miaoyun watched Shen Shuangning and teased, "I don't know which young master is being so attentive to you; even I, as your elder sister, have benefited from it."

Zhao Lian'an nearby earnestly said, "Madam likes these snacks? I will often buy them for you from now on."

"Aren't you afraid I'll eat too much and gain weight?"

"Even if you gain weight, you are still my wife."

"Do you think I've gotten fat?" Shen Miaoyun flung the Li Ji bag into his arms, then strode forward briskly.

Zhao Lian'an stared for a moment, thinking to himself, "Pregnant women are indeed hard to serve."

He hurriedly chased after her.

"Madam, walk slowly, watch your step~"

Seeing her older sister and brother-in-law so loving, Shen Shuangning felt quite envious.

Perhaps this is what a normal married couple should be.

Shen Er saw the longing in her eyes and couldn't help asking, "Ningning, do you also want to get married?"

Upon hearing that, Shen Shuangning immediately glared at Shen Er: "What are you saying, Second Brother?"

Shen Er grinned and asked again, "What kind of husband do you like, Ningning?"

Shen Ling interjected, "Your sister's husband is, of course, the finest young man in the world."

Watching her older sister and brother-in-law's retreating backs, Shen Shuangning thought, "Her husband doesn't need to be the best in the world; she just needs him to have her in his heart and to cherish her."

She had already had enough of being neglected.

Who would have thought Shen Er would suddenly blurt out, "I think Xiao Jingyuan is not bad."

Shen Shuangning's face changed instantly: "He's Miss Song's; I don't like him, so don't say such nonsense anymore."

"I was just saying it, Ningning, don't be angry."

Seeing that she was truly angry this time, Shen Er hurriedly followed up to coax her.

However, for some reason, these words were passed along to the Prince Yan's manor and were even distorted.

It was said that Shen Shuangning obsessively pursued the Prince Yan's heir and, failing, became angry out of embarrassment, leading to a quarrel with her brother.

And the feud between the Zhao and Song families also involved Shen Shuangning.

"I knew the Duke's manor wouldn't give up; she's coming for you!" Xiao He said.

In the study, the candles burned brightly; Xiao Jingyuan stood by the window, head lowered as he wiped his sword, his expression unreadable.

Behind him, Xiao He, seated in a chair and holding a folding fan, tapped his palm intermittently and said, "This Fourth Miss is no simpleton—she has hooked the Gong family's young master into marrying none but her, kept the grandson of Minister Wei on a string, and even caused the Nanbo Marquis household's brothers to turn on each other. Truly worthy of being Shen Xiuci's sister; her tactics are formidable."

"Furthermore, I suspect that at the Drunken Cloud Pavilion she deliberately set you up. Seeing you not take the bait, she then went to the Song manor and even teamed up with the wife of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's heir to cause a scene!"

Xiao Jingyuan knew things weren't as Xiao He described, but he was inexplicably annoyed and didn't want to say another word.

Xiao He kept calling her "Fourth Miss," making Xiao Jingyuan's temples throb with veins; finally he could take no more: "You came to see me just to spout this nonsense?"

Xiao He is the son of Prince Yan's younger brother and also Xiao Jingyuan's younger brother.

They got along well when young, but after Xiao Jingyuan went to the army and Xiao He remained in the capital, when they met again after many years, they naturally weren't as close as before.

However, Xiao He was especially concerned about Xiao Jingyuan's marriage.

Xiao He said, "I'm just asking, shouldn't you settle the marriage with the Song family's young lady? Otherwise, long nights bring many dreams."

Xiao Jingyuan said, "In the south, regions like Luling and Yuzhang have already suffered snow disasters, with countless losses of crops and livestock; while the routes of Dadu, Baoding, and Zhending have seen snow over a foot deep, especially Zhending, which has been out of contact for a month."

"These routes are essential for transporting grain and fodder, and Northern Qi still eyes us covetously; if disaster strikes there, it could affect the overall situation. In these troubled times, do you think I still have the heart to ponder such matters?"

The last time I went to the Song manor, it was also to discuss official business.

Seeing Xiao Jingyuan's poor complexion, Xiao He didn't dare to keep speaking nonsense.

He never expected a beautiful heavy snow to bring such serious consequences.

Xiao Jingyuan also didn't blame him too much, merely saying lightly, "The peace and stability beneath your feet, the tranquil years before your eyes, are all thanks to the frontier soldiers who, with their flesh and blood, have built a bulwark for your homeland."

That night, after several days without dreaming, Xiao Jingyuan had another strange dream about the Fourth Miss.

In the dream, she was alluring to the extreme, her tactics formidable, like a female demon that steals lives.

Afterwards, she whispered in his ear, "My lord, are you still comfortable? My lord, why do you dare not look at me?"

Xiao Jingyuan suddenly opened his eyes.

Then he went to soak in a water vat for the night.

The next day, Shen Shuangning leaned against the windowsill, her fingertips lightly catching a falling snowflake; she blinked, and a hint of worry crossed her peach-blossom eyes.

The snow in Jingcheng fell like willow catkins, adding a touch of poetry, while the young masters and misses went out in twos and threes to tread the snow and seek plum blossoms.

But she knew that elsewhere, natural disasters were ravaging the land mercilessly. Thus, when Shen Ling asked if she wanted to go together to enjoy the snow, she declined on the grounds of feeling unwell.

Shen Shuangning had a clear understanding of herself; although she was a reborn person, she was not omnipotent, and besides, she was merely a lady of the inner chambers, incapable of doing anything.

These matters will be handled by others; it's not something a lady of the inner chambers should worry about, otherwise what are officials for?

In the following days, aside from routinely paying respects to her grandmother, Shen Shuangning went with Shen Ling to the Zhao household to seek her older sister for "scripture study."

During that period, she never encountered Xie Lin again.

Shen Miaoyun was exceptionally outstanding; in past ladies' etiquette contests she had won much glory for the Duke's manor, being able to match the Song family's daughter evenly.

Wanting to help Shen Ling, Shen Shuangning mentioned to her mother letting Shen Ling go along, and Madame Shen agreed without much thought.

In the blink of an eye, it was the day of the Lantern Festival.

Since it was her first time entering the palace, the Third Madame put some thought into dressing Shen Ling.

Meanwhile, Shen Shuangning, having entered the palace many times as the Crown Princess's consort, was already accustomed to it, but Madame Shen couldn't bear to see her too casual and grabbed her to redo her attire.

"Do you think you're going to play? Take it seriously; if you embarrass yourself in the palace, that's losing face for the Duke's manor, and I won't forgive you."

Shen Shuangning felt helpless and could only let Madame Shen have her way.

Seeing Madame Shen produce a box of gorgeous jewels, Shen Shuangning's scalp instantly went numb.

"Mother, I won't wear these jewels; I'm still young and can't bear them. Mother, hurry up, don't be late for the palace appointment!"

Having said that, she darted off like a wisp of smoke and vanished in an instant.

"Ah, you little girl." Madame Shen could only put down her cosmetics case, saying, "A Heng, take the young lady's cloak, the new one."

Not long after, the entourage entered the palace.

The palace was majestic and solemn, hardly different from Shen Shuangning's memory; although it was a bright sunny day, one always felt the light inside was a shade dimmer than outside.

No matter how many times she came, it always made her feel oppressed.

Even the usually composed Madam Shen pressed her lips and tensed her body, let alone Shen Ling, who was entering the palace for the first time.

Walking on the blue‑brick palace path, Shen Ling kept her head lowered, not daring to look around, when suddenly she felt a warmth in her hand.

It was Shen Shuangning who had taken hold of her hand.

Warm and strong.

Shen Ling couldn't help but lift her eyes, meeting those gentle, calm eyes.

"Older sister..." her lips were slightly pale.

Shen Shuangning soothed, "I'm here."

Shen Ling nodded, and her panicked, racing heart gradually calmed.

This time Shen Er also came, walking behind Shen Xiuci.

The state duke's manor had few male members; the youngest son happened to be ill, so only the two of them represented the Rong duke's manor in competing for glory.

Madam Shen was uneasy, and after giving them a few careful instructions, she parted from them.

The two young masters also went to the place where the men were supposed to stay.

The two locations were not far apart, yet clearly distinct.

The young masters were already warming up; they would not begin formally until the emperor arrived.

Shen Shuangning merely glanced up casually and could see, far off, the imposing figure on horseback.

Xiao Jingyuan wore a set of dark martial attire, broad‑shouldered and narrow‑waisted; he casually held the reins, and in the sunlight his heroic aura was striking, making one dare not look directly at him.

He too seemed to be looking this way, intentionally or not.